What We Are
by that one little guy
Summary: It's crazy. She's the only one of her kind, and there's more of my kind than I'll ever know. But maybe if we're together, it'll all balance out. Waddle Dee x Adeleine.


**A/N: **You know what's weird? I've been on this site for what. . . three years now? And I've written a few romance fics, but I STILL haven't written a story about my OTP. Yes, Waddle Dee/Adeleine is my favorite pairing ever. . . :P But since I pretty much made it up myself, it basically has no following whatsoever. Mayhaps I can change that now? Anyway, I guess you could consider this a belated Valentine's Day present from me. :3

-----

It was crazy.

It was wrong.

He was just a regular guy. A face in the crowd. Literally indistinguishable from everyone else.

And she. . . well, she was special.

_Everybody _said so. From the moment they had met her.

He still remembered that day so well. The day after he had been rescued from possession by the sinister Dark Matter – by none other than Kirby, the legendary hero of Dreamland, along with a cute little fairy girl named Ribbon. Deciding he owed them for saving his life, he had pledged himself to their cause, which happened to be finding all of the remaining shards of the fairies' Crystal, similar to the one he had found. Though they had been unsure at first, they had immediately recognized Waddle Dee's heart was in the right place and had happily accepted him into their group.

The next morning brought the trio into the darkness of a dense forest, with enormous trees above them and a leaf-covered ground below them. Ribbon had begun to shiver as they plowed deeper and deeper into the forest, claiming that she could feel an evil presence drawing closer. . . .

And that presence happened to be a little girl.

"W-what is _that?!_" Kirby cried as they confronted Dark Matter's latest victim. Her languid black hair drooped awkwardly over her face, partially obscuring her piercing red eyes. She stood in an awkward gait with a wicked smile on her face, laughing in a low and unnatural voice.

"It's Dark Matter! What do you _think _it is?!" Ribbon hissed at Kirby.

"No, I mean that person! She – she's a human!"

"A _human?_" Waddle Dee repeated dumbly.

Humans weren't supposed to be real. They were the object of pure fantasy, something made up to keep little kids entertained. Seeing a real live one was even more impossible than seeing a fairy.

But none of them had any time to ponder that.

"This girl was unlucky enough to come across one of my Crystal Shards," Dark Matter spoke through her, always with the same sadistic smile. "I suggest you leave before something worse happens to you."

"It's _not _yours! Give it back!!" Kirby shouted fearlessly, snapped out of his astonished reverie.

What followed was a desperate battle between Kirby and the Dark Matter-controlled girl – or rather, between Kirby and her paintings. As if the fact that she was a human weren't unbelievable enough, this girl somehow had the ability to paint things and _bring them to life_. Waddle Dee thought his eyes would bulge out of his head as she saw her paint a crude replica of a Bronto Burt on a nearby easel – only for it to literally fly out of the canvas, alive as could be, and attack a dumbfounded Kirby.

"How is that _possible?!_" Ribbon cried as Kirby fought off more and more of the living paintings, clearly growing exhausted from the effort. As he finally beat the final enemy – by some twisted joke, a painting of Dark Matter – the artist became unable to contain her fury. Letting out a howl of rage, she jumped off the tree stump she had been standing on and charged at Kirby herself. It was a ferocious one-on-one battle, with the girl looking wilder and less human as time went on, growing desperate to win.

Finally, though, Kirby gained the upper hand and wrested the Crystal Shard away from her, only to throw it directly at the slightly larger one Ribbon was holding – the conglomeration of all the Shards they had collected so far.

There was a brilliant flash, and suddenly, the Shard had merged with the others in Ribbon's hands.

Then Waddle Dee learned how they had saved him from possession the other day.

Ribbon aimed the newly-enlarged Crystal at the artist and fired.

A brilliant beam of white light erupted from its tip, piercing the girl directly in the chest.

She screamed an unholy scream as the Dark Matter inside of her fought to maintain control, but it was no use. With the power of the Crystal, it was forced out of her and flew away in a rage as her empty shell of a body collapsed onto the ground.

"Woah. . . ." Waddle Dee said timidly.

"Just one of the Crystal's many uses," Ribbon replied with a faint smile.

Worriedly, all three of them slowly approached the prone form of the artist, lying still as death on the ground. All the hatred and anger that had previously contorted her face was gone, and now she looked almost peaceful. . . .

"Is she. . . ?" Waddle Dee didn't dare to finish.

"Oh no," Kirby breathed, looking horrified at what he had done. "Oh no. . . I didn't mean to. . . is she really. . . ."

Ribbon lowered her head. "I'm so sorry, Kirby," she said softly, "but I think she's – "

The artist coughed violently, and her eyes flew open.

"Oh – never mind."

Waddle Dee scrambled backward as the girl sat up and looked around in utter confusion. It was obviously the first time he had seen a human, and he was unable to look away. Her short black hair was mostly covered up by a red beret, and she had on a green artist's smock and a short gray skirt – but her most striking feature was her eyes. Now that she was her true self, they weren't red anymore, but a blueish-gray, like the color of a lake on a cloudy day.

He suddenly realized they were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

Before he could say anything, she was asking Kirby and Ribbon who they were and what had just happened to her, and like Waddle Dee before her, she got the answer.

She didn't take it any better than he had.

"Wha – _what?!_" she cried in horror, her paintbrush dropping out of her hand. "You're joking! You've _gotta _be!! What do you mean – "

"We wish we were," Ribbon replied glumly.

"But it's okay," Kirby tried to reassure her. "I mean, we got the Crystal Shard back, and you're safe, so there's no harm done."

"Oh, no, no, _no!!_" the girl cried as she clutched her head, not even hearing what Kirby had said. "You mean I tried to _kill _you?! I tried to kill _Kirby?! _The greatest hero on the whole planet?!"

"Well, it wasn't you, technically, it was – "

"This can't be happening to me!!" she wailed, dropping to her knees and sobbing. "I just thought it was a pretty crystal, I never thought – oh, how could I_ do this?! _How could this have happened?!"

"Hey, now, you need to snap out of it," said Ribbon, beginning to get impatient. "Seriously, it wasn't your fault, you had no idea – "

"Just leave me alone!" the human girl begged, turning away from them as she drew her knees up to her and continued to cry. Kirby and Ribbon looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

Then Waddle Dee got an idea.

"Hey guys. . . can I talk to her?"

Both of them looked at him in surprise, as though they had forgotten he was there.

"Well, sure, Waddle Dee," Kirby replied unsurely. "But I don't know what's left to say."

Slowly and timidly, he walked up to the crying little girl, clearing his throat in front of her.

"Um. . . 'scuse me?"

She lifted up her tear-stained face and looked right at him with those eyes of hers.

She was so pretty.

"Listen. . . I know you're upset. I know exactly how you feel. I just want you to know that Dark Matter. . . it got me too."

She looked completely surprised at that.

"It did? Really?"

"Yeah. But Kirby and Ribbon saved me, just like they saved you. So everything's okay now. I'm happy, and you should be too."

She was silent for a moment, then turned away. "But still. . . I feel so awful," she said. "Knowing what that thing did to me. . . and what I almost did. . . ."

Waddle Dee nodded in understanding. "I know. Something like that happening. . . it's terrible. But you know, lately I've begun to think everything happens for a reason."

She sniffed. "What do you mean?"

Waddle Dee couldn't believe what he was about to do. He was about to spill out his heart to a complete stranger, someone he barely even knew.

But somehow, as he looked into her eyes, he thought she would understand.

It was unbelievable. . . but she was like him.

"Well. . . before yesterday, I was completely alone," he admitted softly. "I was sad and miserable and thought my whole life didn't have any meaning at all. I mean, I'm just a stupid Waddle Dee, after all. But then. . . well, I met Kirby and Ribbon, and it never would have happened if I _hadn't _found a Crystal Shard."

She said nothing, so he went on. "And now, for the first time in my whole life, I'm doing something meaningful. I'm helping these guys save the _world_. And I feel like for the first time, I have real friends."

For some reason, she looked even sadder at that.

"I don't have any friends," she stated. "Everybody thinks I'm weird. Or they're scared of me. Because I'm. . . ."

"You're a human?"

"Yeah. . . ."

"Well, I think you're the prettiest human I ever met."

And then something miraculous happened. She smiled, and she giggled. Even without a mouth, Waddle Dee grinned broadly, fueled with confidence.

"Maybe you were meant to find that Crystal Shard too," he suggested. "Because I would really like to be your friend. And I know Kirby and Ribbon would too."

She smiled again, looking truly happy now. "That'd be terrific."

And before he knew what had happened, she had pulled him into a hug. "Thank you," she said.

For some reason he was finding it hard to breathe, so he just nodded.

"Wow. Nicely done," Kirby observed.

"Hey, what's your name, anyway?" Waddle Dee asked once she had let him go.

She rubbed her shoulder with a silly grin. "Adeleine."

-----

From that moment on, the two of them were best friends.

Adeleine, of course, also took it upon herself to join their group – as it turned out, much to Ribbon's chagrin. Now that she had cheered up, she turned out to be a somewhat quirky and ditzy girl, but always happy and full of energy. Ribbon, who was serious and completely humorless about their task to save her home planet, found their personalities didn't mesh at all, and throughout their adventure was constantly belittling Adeleine for one thing or another.

The artist hardly cared about that, though. Kirby liked her, and Waddle Dee, as she often said, was the best friend she could ask for.

Just as Kirby and Ribbon had predicted, their quest was a long and eventful one. Right off the bat, they picked up a fifth party member – none other than King Dedede himself, who had a similar run-in with Dark Matter and realized, however reluctantly, that he too owed Kirby and Ribbon his life. After that, they used the arcane power of the Crystal to travel all the way across the galaxy, visiting several different planets where the Shards had been scattered. They made countless new friends, battled their way through an amazing assortment of foes, and every day brought a new adventure as they looked for the latest Shard.

And every day, Adeleine brought her special brand of humor to every situation, lightening the mood no matter how much trouble they were in.

And every day, she and Waddle Dee would go off and play together, having their own adventures and just enjoying each other.

And one day, Waddle Dee woke up and realized he was completely in love with her.

She didn't seem to have that problem.

He didn't know if it was just her general oblivious nature, or if she really didn't have any feelings like that. Whatever the case, she seemed happy enough that they were just friends, and saw no need to pursue the matter any further than that.

Occasionally one of the people they would meet on their journey was a nice-looking young boy, and Adeleine would respond predictably, getting even more nervous and jumpy than she normally was. Every time, she would ask Waddle Dee what he thought, and how she should go about getting his attention.

And every time, his heart would break a little.

But he never let it show. He never even dropped the hint about how he really felt. He would have to hide his sadness behind a fake smile and give her whatever advice he could. And when it was time for their group to move on, Adeleine would realize things would never work out between them anyway, and she would sigh and lean back on Waddle Dee, remarking "At least I've got you."

It was the same every time.

He was silly to think it would ever change.

She was a human, a phenomenon no matter what planet they were on. And even if she was a little on the slow side, she was incredibly sweet and never failed to win the hearts of those around her. And she was cute – there was no denying that.

And he was just a Waddle Dee.

Sometimes people didn't even notice him.

Sure, he was brave – something the rest of his species couldn't say. He was smart too – he was always the one to come up with the group's plans. He even had Ribbon beat in the brains department, though she was still the leader.

But none of that mattered.

Because after was said and done. . . he was just a nobody.

And nobodies didn't belong with miracles.

-----

Waddle Dee sat leaning against one of the fountains in the royal courtyard. Behind him was the magnificent Ripple Star Palace, in its former glory now that the Crystal had been fully restored and Dark Matter had been defeated once and for all.

It was hard to believe that only a day ago, the fivesome had flown away from the deadened and corrupted planet in order to confront the controlling force behind Dark Matter, Zero Two. The battle had been long and incredible, surely the most epic one the universe had ever seen. The power of the Crystal versus the force of the enormous evil being, the very manifestation of darkness, had been enough to rock the galaxy to its core. From every planet in the system, people had looked up into the blood-red skies and seen the battle for the fate of the universe raging in the heavens.

And then, somehow, they won.

Waddle Dee wasn't sure how it happened, nor were any of his friends. But after Zero Two and the Dark Matter planet had perished in a horrific explosion, they had woken up and found themselves back on Ripple Star, looking as perfect and beautiful as it had before the Dark Matter invasion. Even Ribbon's beloved Queen, who had been under Dark Matter's control this entire time, had been restored to normal.

The celebration that had followed was the biggest one anyone had ever seen.

Delegates from nearly every planet in the galaxy had flown in for the ceremony in which Waddle Dee and his friends were presented with medals, honored as the fearless heroes whose efforts had save everyone from eternal darkness.

The party lasted all day long, with so many things to do and people to talk to that it all went by in a blur. All five of them were approached by countless people who wanted to thank them for everything they had done, but Waddle Dee couldn't help but notice he was approached the least of all. . . .

Finally, as the day had died away, everyone had returned home. The Queen, however, insisted that the five heroes stay on Ripple Star for several more days, as it was the least amount of time needed for the fairies to repay them fully. Exhausted from the day's events, they had all agreed.

And now, here he was, alone for the first time he could remember, gazing up at the night sky. The stars looked different here than they did on Pop Star, but they were beautiful nonetheless, and only accentuated by the numerous glowing lights that danced slowly around the fountain.

He was a hero. He'd helped save the universe.

And he still wasn't happy.

"Waddle Dee?"

His heart jumped, just like it always did when he heard her voice. He scolded himself, remembering it was useless to act like that. Nothing would ever come of it.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" Adeleine asked innocently as she appeared from behind the fountain. "Everybody else went to bed a long time ago."

"I'm not tired," he replied simply.

"Come on, Waddle Dee, even I'm not that stupid. You look exhausted."

He frowned. "Fine. I just wanted a little time by myself, that's all."

"Can't blame you for that," Adeleine agreed – and then, oblivious she was, sliding down right next to him. "Oh, Waddle Dee, you should have seen Kirby and Ribbon tonight!"

He raised an eyebrow. "How come?"

"You remember how Ribbon gave him a kiss after he got his medal?" she said with an excited grin. "Well, tonight after everybody left, they were standing out on the courtyard alone together. And they were holding hands!" She clenched her fists in delight. "I mean, _we _all knew they were totally in love with each other, but I think the two of them finally figured it out! They're so cute together!"

"Yeah. It was bound to happen sometime," Waddle Dee agreed with a smile.

Of course, it was no surprise that Kirby and Ribbon were together. They were both important, both creatures worthy of recognition. Even on Ripple Star, Ribbon was known for how pretty she was, and on every other planet she, being a legendary fairy, was a rare anomaly, quite as exciting and unknown as a human. And Kirby, of course, was one of the only known members of his kind. Add that to the fact that he was a Star Warrior and the savior of Dreamland numerous times over, and he was just about as important a guy as they came.

They were perfect for each other.

"Waddle Dee? What are you thinking about?"

"I don't know. . . about love, I guess."

"Have you ever been in love?"

She might as well have just stabbed him with a rusty knife.

"Yeah."

"I guess. There's probably plenty of pretty Waddle Dee girls back on Pop Star, aren't there?"

He struggled to contain himself. When he had gained enough control to glance at her, he realized she suddenly looked depressed.

"Ad? What's the matter?"

"You're so lucky, Waddle Dee," she sighed, looking at her shoes. "There are so many of you. You've got every Waddle Dee in the world to choose from. But me. . . I'm the only human there is." She sniffed. "There's nobody for me."

Waddle Dee looked at her in astonishment.

"You know, sometimes I hate being what I am," she muttered. "People think it must be great to be a human. But it's not. Not when it makes you so alone. I'm just a freak."

Waddle Dee's heart was pounding.

"You were the first person who ever saw past that," she recalled with a smile. "You wanted to be my friend, even though you knew what I was. I'm really lucky to have you." Her smile faded away. "But other than that, it gets pretty hard. I know people like me, but I think deep down they're all a little uneasy around me."

She looked at him. "Sometimes I just want to be normal. I wish I was a Waddle Dee, like you."

And then Waddle Dee snapped.

"_Don't ever say that again!!_" he cried desperately at her, leaping to his feet. "Being a Waddle Dee is the worst thing in the world! Nobody thinks anything of you! Everybody forgets you! No one can even tell you apart from the rest!! We're all exactly the same, one right after the other!"

He was aware that he was crying now, and that Adeleine was staring at him in shock, but he didn't care.

"Don't you _ever _wish to be anything other than what you are! You're absolutely perfect! You're funny and sweet and wonderful and so pretty I can't stand it!!"

Adeleine slowly drew away. "Waddle Dee. . .?"

Waddle Dee shook his head. He couldn't keep in inside himself anymore. Not after this. This had finally done it.

"Darn it, Adeleine! I'm so much in love with you I don't know what to do with myself anymore."

There. He did it.

Adeleine didn't do or say a thing. At least not that Waddle Dee could see, as he was busy rubbing the tears away from his eyes as he continued to cry helplessly. It was no use. They were falling too fast and too hard for him to get rid of. Finally he just gave up, the silence coming from in front of him just making him cry harder. . . .

Suddenly, he felt something warm on his face. He opened his eyes. Adeleine was wiping his tears away for him.

"You're wrong about being a Waddle Dee, you know," she said in a shaky voice. "I think more of you than I do of the entire universe. I'll never forget you as long as I live. Even if you were in a crowd of a million other Waddle Dees I would know which one was you."

She smiled again. . . that same silly smile she used when she was about to do something she knew would get her in trouble.

"I know I'm not very smart. . . but I think that's probably a sign that I'm in love with you too."

Waddle Dee was speechless. . . and so didn't have any words to protest when Adeleine suddenly grabbed him and kissed him.

It was like nothing he could ever describe. . . all his sadness, all his insecurity, all his frustration at himself suddenly melted away in that one moment. To think, no one else in the universe would ever know what this was like. . . there was no one like her. . . not even close. . . .

When they pulled apart, he was in a complete daze, not quite sure where he was anymore.

They both sat in silence for a long moment. Waddle Dee was the one who finally broke it.

". . .Ribbon's gonna have a heart attack."

Adeleine stared at him, then burst out laughing. Waddle Dee immediately joined in.

It was crazy. . . .

But it wasn't wrong.

Anyone who had seen them at that moment would have agreed.

Nothing could be more right.

-----

**A/N: **I'm kinda thinking of expanding this. . . like, into a full novel-length thing (obviously changing some things around). . . what do you think? If I get enough/any positive feedback, I might. . . .


End file.
